Data storage devices are used for data storage in modern electronic products ranging from digital cameras to network systems. A data storage device includes a mechanical portion, or head disc assembly, and electronics, or printed circuit board assembly, mounted to the head disc assembly. The printed circuit board assembly controls functions of the head disc assembly while providing a communication interface between the data storage device and its host.
The head disc assembly has a disc rotated at a constant speed by a spindle motor assembly and a position controllable actuator assembly, which supports a data transducing head that selectively writes data to and reads data from the disc.
The data storage device market continues to place pressure on the industry for data storage devices with improved reliability. Degradation in read/write head performance at customer sites continues to pose a reliability issue for customers.
As such, challenges remain and a need persists for improvements in detection of read/write heads prone to performance degradation.